New Monmouth County, NJ task force works to prevent suicides

🔎 Hundreds of New Jersey residents die by suicide annually

🔎 New pilot initiative will look into causes

🔎 Help is available for those struggling

FREEHOLD BOROUGH — A new pilot initiative in Monmouth County is working to prevent suicides.

Around 740 New Jersey residents die by suicide each year, according to the state Health Department.

Now, the new Suicide Fatality Review Team will review suicides in Monmouth County. The county was chosen by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant and Substance Use Program.

"We want to understand and analyze what is creating these suicides or causing them. And there are so many different elements that go into that," Monmouth County Commissioner Sue Kiley said.

Mental health struggles can affect anyone from any group, Kiley said. And the reasons for those struggles can vary between groups.

For example, a young student in school can face difficulty because of peer pressure.

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And seniors are just as vulnerable as they may feel they don't have enough to do or don't feel as important as they used to be, Kiley said.

The review team will go case by case to understand the causes of these suicides.

Available information such as whether the individual reached out to existing support systems will be considered.

It will be up to the review team to then make policy recommendations that can hopefully prevent suicides in the future.

Anyone struggling with mental health issues can call or text the free Suicide Lifeline at 9-8-8.

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